Methods and apparatus for user equipment capability exchange

ABSTRACT

Capability exchange enhancements include filtering and/or indexing. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) determines UE capabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiries from the network, received system information, a home operator policy, configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN) information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a service type. In other aspects, a UE may report a subset of UE capabilities for features used for the connection establishment. Following connection establishment, the UE may use an identifier to communicate a more complete set of modes of operation that the UE is currently capable of performing. Base stations of the network may share the reported subset so that the UE may avoid transmitting the subset to a target base station.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/882,558, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USER EQUIPMENTCAPABILITY EXCHANGE,” filed on Jan. 29, 2018, and claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/454,653, entitled “METHODSAND APPARATUS FOR USER EQUIPMENT CAPABILITY EXCHANGE,” filed on Feb. 3,2017, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND Field

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wirelesscommunication systems, and more particularly, to user equipmentcapability exchange procedures.

Background

Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide variouscommunication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging,broadcast, and the like. These wireless networks may be multiple-accessnetworks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the availablenetwork resources. Such networks, which are usually multiple accessnetworks, support communications for multiple users by sharing theavailable network resources. One example of such a network is theUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). The UTRAN is theradio access network (RAN) defined as a part of the Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), a third generation (3G) mobile phonetechnology supported by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).Examples of multiple-access network formats include Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, OrthogonalFDMA (OFDMA) networks, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks.

A wireless communication network may include a number of base stationsor node Bs that can support communication for a number of userequipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with a base station via downlinkand uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communicationlink from the base station to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link)refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.

A base station may transmit data and control information on the downlinkto a UE and/or may receive data and control information on the uplinkfrom the UE. On the downlink, a transmission from the base station mayencounter interference due to transmissions from neighbor base stationsor from other wireless radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink,a transmission from the UE may encounter interference from uplinktransmissions of other UEs communicating with the neighbor base stationsor from other wireless RF transmitters. This interference may degradeperformance on both the downlink and uplink.

As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, thepossibilities of interference and congested networks grows with more UEsaccessing the long-range wireless communication networks and moreshort-range wireless systems being deployed in communities. Research anddevelopment continue to advance wireless technologies not only to meetthe growing demand for mobile broadband access, but to advance andenhance the user experience with mobile communications.

As LTE release and 5G release develop and add more features and carrieraggregation (CA)/band combinations, UE capability information has becomeone of the longest and most complicated radio access control messages.Therefore, enhancements to the UE capability change procedure may behelpful to address this issue.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of the disclosure, a method for wireless communication isdisclosed. The method includes determining, by a user equipment (UE), UEcapabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one ormore enquiries from the network, received system information, a homeoperator policy, configuration associated with public land mobilenetwork (PLMN) information of one or more networks, a user preference,or a service type, and transmitting, by the UE, the determined UEcapabilities.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a method for wirelesscommunication is disclosed. The method includes transmitting, by a basestation, one or more enquiries for user equipment (UE) capabilitiesassociated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by anetwork, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by thenetwork on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fallback band combinations by the network, and receiving, by the basestation, the associated UE capabilities.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a method for wirelesscommunication is disclosed. The method includes utilizing, by a userequipment (UE), one or more identifiers to identify a portion of UEcapabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE, andtransmitting, by the UE, a UE capability set and the one or moreidentifiers to a network. The UE capability set indicates UEcapabilities for features. Each of the one or more identifierscorresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable toperform;

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a method for wirelesscommunication is disclosed. The method includes receiving, by a basestation, a user equipment (UE) capability set indicating UE capabilitiesfor features and one or more identifiers identifying a portion of UEcapabilities for features and band combinations supported by a UE, anddetermining, by the base station, the portion of UE capabilities forfeatures and band combinations supported by the UE based on the receivedone or more identifiers and a capability database. Each of the one ormore identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UEis capable to perform;

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus for wirelesscommunication is disclosed. The apparatus includes means fordetermining, by a user equipment (UE), UE capabilities to be reported toa network based on one or more of: one or more enquiries from thenetwork, received system information, a home operator policy,configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN)information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a servicetype, and means for transmitting, by the UE, the determined UEcapabilities.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus for wirelesscommunication is disclosed. The apparatus includes means fortransmitting, by a base station, one or more enquiries for userequipment (UE) capabilities associated with one or more of: one or morebands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers orbandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support ofunderstanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network, andmeans for receiving, by the base station, the associated UEcapabilities.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus for wirelesscommunication is disclosed. The apparatus includes means for utilizing,by a user equipment (UE), one or more identifiers to identify a portionof UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by theUE, and means for transmitting, by the UE, a UE capability set. The UEcapability set indicates UE capabilities for features and the one ormore identifiers to a network. Each of the one or more identifierscorresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable toperform.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus for wirelesscommunication is disclosed. The apparatus includes means for receiving,by a base station, a user equipment (UE) capability set indicating UEcapabilities for features and one or more identifiers identifying aportion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supportedby a UE, and means for determining, by the base station, the portion ofUE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UEbased on the received one or more identifiers and a capability database.Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes ofoperation that the UE is capable to perform.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. Theprogram code further includes program code executable by a computer forcausing the computer to determine, by a user equipment (UE), UEcapabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one ormore enquiries from the network, received system information, a homeoperator policy, configuration associated with public land mobilenetwork (PLMN) information of one or more networks, a user preference,or a service type, and program code executable by the computer forcausing the computer to transmit, by the UE, the determined UEcapabilities.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. Theprogram code further includes program code executable by a computer forcausing the computer to transmit, by a base station, one or moreenquiries for user equipment (UE) capabilities associated with one ormore of: one or more bands that are used by a network, a maximum numberof carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network on uplink ordownlink, or support of understanding skipped fall back bandcombinations by the network, and program code executable by the computerfor causing the computer to receive, by the base station, the associatedUE capabilities.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. Theprogram code further includes program code executable by a computer forcausing the computer to utilize, by a user equipment (UE), one or moreidentifiers to identify a portion of UE capabilities for features andband combinations supported by the UE, and program code executable bythe computer for causing the computer to transmit, by the UE, a UEcapability set and the one or more identifiers to a network. The UEcapability set indicates UE capabilities for features. Each of the oneor more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that theUE is capable to perform,

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having program code recorded thereon. Theprogram code further includes program code executable by a computer forcausing the computer to receive, by a base station, a user equipment(UE) capability set indicating UE capabilities for features and one ormore identifiers identifying a portion of UE capabilities for featuresand band combinations supported by a UE, and program code executable bya computer for causing the computer to determine, by the base station,the portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinationssupported by the UE based on the received one or more identifiers and acapability database. Each of the one or more identifiers corresponds toa set of modes of operation that the UE is capable to perform.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured forwireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least oneprocessor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor isconfigured to determine, by a user equipment (UE), UE capabilities to bereported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiriesfrom the network, received system information, a home operator policy,configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN)information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a servicetype, and to transmit, by the UE, the determined UE capabilities.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured forwireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least oneprocessor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor isconfigured to transmit, by a base station, one or more enquiries foruser equipment (UE) capabilities associated with one or more of: one ormore bands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers orbandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support ofunderstanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network, and toreceive, by the base station, the associated UE capabilities.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured forwireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least oneprocessor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor isconfigured to utilize, by a user equipment (UE), one or more identifiersto identify a portion of UE capabilities for features and bandcombinations supported by the UE, and to transmit, by the UE, a UEcapability set and the one or more identifiers to a network. The UEcapability set indicates UE capabilities for features. Each of the oneor more identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that theUE is capable to perform.

In an additional aspect of the disclosure, an apparatus configured forwireless communication is disclosed. The apparatus includes at least oneprocessor, and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor isconfigured to receive, by a base station, a user equipment (UE)capability set indicating UE capabilities for features and one or moreidentifiers identifying a portion of UE capabilities for features andband combinations supported by a UE, and to determine, by the basestation, the portion of UE capabilities for features and bandcombinations supported by the UE based on the received one or moreidentifiers and a capability database. Each of the one or moreidentifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE iscapable to perform;

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that thedetailed description that follows may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conceptionand specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of theconcepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method ofoperation, together with associated advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose ofillustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits ofthe claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentdisclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings. Inthe appended figures, similar components or features may have the samereference label. Further, various components of the same type may bedistinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating details of a wirelesscommunication system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a design of a base station and aUE configured according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a timing diagram for coordinatedresource partitioning.

FIG. 4 illustrates a call flow diagram including a UE capabilityexchange procedure.

FIG. 5A is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted to implement one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5B is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted to implement one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5C is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted to implement one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5D is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted to implement one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5E is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted to implement one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6A is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted to implement other aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6B is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted to implement other aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a UE in a communication network accordingto one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a base station in a communication networkaccording to one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a UE in a communication network accordingto further aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a base station in a communication networkaccording to further aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below, in connection with theappended drawings and appendix, is intended as a description of variousconfigurations and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.Rather, the detailed description includes specific details for thepurpose of providing a thorough understanding of the inventive subjectmatter. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that thesespecific details are not required in every case and that, in someinstances, well-known structures and components are shown in blockdiagram form for clarity of presentation.

The detailed description set forth below, in connection with theappended drawings, is intended as a description of various possibleconfigurations and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.Rather, the detailed description includes specific details for thepurpose of providing a thorough understanding of the inventive subjectmatter. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that thesespecific details are not required in every case and that, in someinstances, well-known structures and components are shown in blockdiagram form for clarity of presentation.

This disclosure relates generally to providing or participating inauthorized shared access between two or more wireless communicationssystems, also referred to as wireless communications networks. Invarious embodiments, the techniques and apparatus may be used forwireless communication networks such as code division multiple access(CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks,frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA(OFDMA) networks, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks,GSM networks, 5^(th) Generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks, as wellas other communications networks. As described herein, the terms“networks” and “systems” may be used interchangeably.

An OFDMA network may implement a radio technology such as evolved UTRA(E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, flash-OFDM and thelike. UTRA, E-UTRA, and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)are part of universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS). Inparticular, long term evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that usesE-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documentsprovided from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project”(3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organizationnamed “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). These variousradio technologies and standards are known or are being developed. Forexample, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is acollaboration between groups of telecommunications associations thataims to define a globally applicable third generation (3G) mobile phonespecification. 3GPP long term evolution (LTE) is a 3GPP project whichwas aimed at improving the universal mobile telecommunications system(UMTS) mobile phone standard. The 3GPP may define specifications for thenext generation of mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices.The present disclosure is concerned with the evolution of wirelesstechnologies from LTE, 4G, 5G, NR, and beyond with shared access towireless spectrum between networks using a collection of new anddifferent radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

In particular, 5G networks contemplate diverse deployments, diversespectrum, and diverse services and devices that may be implemented usingan OFDM-based unified, air interface. In order to achieve these goals,further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are considered in addition todevelopment of the new radio technology for 5G NR networks. The 5G NRwill be capable of scaling to provide coverage (1) to a massive Internetof things (IoTs) with an ultra-high density (e.g., ˜1 M nodes/km²),ultra-low complexity (e.g., ˜10 s of bits/sec), ultra-low energy (e.g.,˜10+ years of battery life), and deep coverage with the capability toreach challenging locations; (2) including mission-critical control withstrong security to safeguard sensitive personal, financial, orclassified information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., ˜99.9999%reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., ˜1 ms), and users with wideranges of mobility or lack thereof; and (3) with enhanced mobilebroadband including extreme high capacity (e.g., ˜10 Tbps/km²), extremedata rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rate, 100+ Mbps user experienced rates),and deep awareness with advanced discovery and optimizations.

The 5G NR may be implemented to use optimized OFDM-based waveforms withscalable numerology and transmission time interval (TTI); having acommon, flexible framework to efficiently multiplex services andfeatures with a dynamic, low-latency time division duplex(TDD)/frequency division duplex (FDD) design; and with advanced wirelesstechnologies, such as massive multiple input, multiple output (MIMO),robust millimeter wave (mmWave) transmissions, advanced channel coding,and device-centric mobility. Scalability of the numerology in 5G NR,with scaling of subcarrier spacing, may efficiently address operatingdiverse services across diverse spectrum and diverse deployments. Forexample, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments of less than3 GHz FDD/TDD implementations, subcarrier spacing may occur with 15 kHz,for example over 1, 5, 10, 20 MHz, and the like bandwidth. For othervarious outdoor and small cell coverage deployments of TDD greater than3 GHz, subcarrier spacing may occur with 30 kHz over 80/100 MHzbandwidth. For other various indoor wideband implementations, using aTDD over the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, the subcarrierspacing may occur with 60 kHz over a 160 MHz bandwidth. Finally, forvarious deployments transmitting with mmWave components at a TDD of 28GHz, subcarrier spacing may occur with 120 kHz over a 500 MHz bandwidth.

The scalable numerology of the 5G NR facilitates scalable TTI fordiverse latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example,shorter TTI may be used for low latency and high reliability, whilelonger TTI may be used for higher spectral efficiency. The efficientmultiplexing of long and short TTIs to allow transmissions to start onsymbol boundaries. 5G NR also contemplates a self-contained integratedsubframe design with uplink/downlink scheduling information, data, andacknowledgement in the same subframe. The self-contained integratedsubframe supports communications in unlicensed or contention-basedshared spectrum, adaptive uplink/downlink that may be flexiblyconfigured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between uplink anddownlink to meet the current traffic needs.

Various other aspects and features of the disclosure are furtherdescribed below. It should be apparent that the teachings herein may beembodied in a wide variety of forms and that any specific structure,function, or both being disclosed herein is merely representative andnot limiting. Based on the teachings herein one of an ordinary level ofskill in the art should appreciate that an aspect disclosed herein maybe implemented independently of any other aspects and that two or moreof these aspects may be combined in various ways. For example, anapparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using anynumber of the aspects set forth herein. In addition, such an apparatusmay be implemented or such a method may be practiced using otherstructure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition toor other than one or more of the aspects set forth herein. For example,a method may be implemented as part of a system, device, apparatus,and/or as instructions stored on a computer readable medium forexecution on a processor or computer. Furthermore, an aspect maycomprise at least one element of a claim.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating 5G network 100 including variousbase stations and UEs configured according to aspects of the presentdisclosure. The 5G network 100 includes a number of base stations 105and other network entities. A base station may be a station thatcommunicates with the UEs and may also be referred to as an evolved nodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (gNB), an access point, and the like.Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage for aparticular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to thisparticular geographic coverage area of a base station and/or a basestation subsystem serving the coverage area, depending on the context inwhich the term is used.

A base station may provide communication coverage for a macro cell or asmall cell, such as a pico cell or a femto cell, and/or other types ofcell. A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area(e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted accessby UEs with service subscriptions with the network provider. A smallcell, such as a pico cell, would generally cover a relatively smallergeographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with servicesubscriptions with the network provider. A small cell, such as a femtocell, would also generally cover a relatively small geographic area(e.g., a home) and, in addition to unrestricted access, may also providerestricted access by UEs having an association with the femto cell(e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in thehome, and the like). A base station for a macro cell may be referred toas a macro base station. A base station for a small cell may be referredto as a small cell base station, a pico base station, a femto basestation or a home base station. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the basestations 105 d and 105 e are regular macro base stations, while basestations 105 a-105 c are macro base stations enabled with one of 3dimension (3D), full dimension (FD), or massive MIMO. Base stations 105a-105 c take advantage of their higher dimension MIMO capabilities toexploit 3D beamforming in both elevation and azimuth beamforming toincrease coverage and capacity. Base station 105 f is a small cell basestation which may be a home node or portable access point. A basestation may support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and thelike) cells.

The 5G network 100 may support synchronous or asynchronous operation.For synchronous operation, the base stations may have similar frametiming, and transmissions from different base stations may beapproximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the basestations may have different frame timing, and transmissions fromdifferent base stations may not be aligned in time.

The UEs 115 are dispersed throughout the wireless network 100, and eachUE may be stationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as aterminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, or the like. AUE may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), awireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, atablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless localloop (WLL) station, or the like. UEs 115 a-115 d are examples of mobilesmart phone-type devices accessing 5G network 100 A UE may also be amachine specifically configured for connected communication, includingmachine type communication (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), narrowband IoT(NB-IoT) and the like. UEs 115 e-115 k are examples of various machinesconfigured for communication that access 5G network 100. A UE may beable to communicate with any type of the base stations, whether macrobase station, small cell, or the like. In FIG. 1, a lightning bolt(e.g., communication links) indicates wireless transmissions between aUE and a serving base station, which is a base station designated toserve the UE on the downlink and/or uplink, or desired transmissionbetween base stations, and backhaul transmissions between base stations.

In operation at 5G network 100, base stations 105 a-105 c serve UEs 115a and 115 b using 3D beamforming and coordinated spatial techniques,such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity. Macro basestation 105 d performs backhaul communications with base stations 105a-105 c, as well as small cell, base station 105 f. Macro base station105 d also transmits multicast services which are subscribed to andreceived by UEs 115 c and 115 d. Such multicast services may includemobile television or stream video, or may include other services forproviding community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts,such as Amber alerts or gray alerts.

5G network 100 also support mission critical communications withultra-reliable and redundant links for mission critical devices, such UE115 e, which is a drone. Redundant communication links with UE 115 einclude from macro base stations 105 d and 105 e, as well as small cellbase station 105 f. Other machine type devices, such as UE 115 f(thermometer), UE 115 g (smart meter), and UE 115 h (wearable device)may communicate through 5G network 100 either directly with basestations, such as small cell base station 105 f, and macro base station105 e, or in multi-hop configurations by communicating with another userdevice which relays its information to the network, such as UE 115 fcommunicating temperature measurement information to the smart meter, UE115 g, which is then reported to the network through small cell basestation 105 f. 5G network 100 may also provide additional networkefficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD/FDD communications, such asin a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mesh network between UEs 115 i-115 kcommunicating with macro base station 105 e.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a design of a base station 105 and a UE115, which may be one of the base station and one of the UEs in FIG. 1.At the base station 105, a transmit processor 220 may receive data froma data source 212 and control information from a controller/processor240. The control information may be for the PBCH, PCFICH, PHICH, PDCCH,EPDCCH, MPDCCH etc. The data may be for the PDSCH, etc. The transmitprocessor 220 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data andcontrol information to obtain data symbols and control symbols,respectively. The transmit processor 220 may also generate referencesymbols, e.g., for the PSS, SSS, and cell-specific reference signal. Atransmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 mayperform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, thecontrol symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and mayprovide output symbol streams to the modulators (MODs) 232 a through 232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream(e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, andupconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal.Downlink signals from modulators 232 a through 232 t may be transmittedvia the antennas 234 a through 234 t, respectively.

At the UE 115, the antennas 252 a through 252 r may receive the downlinksignals from the base station 105 and may provide received signals tothe demodulators (DEMODs) 254 a through 254 r, respectively. Eachdemodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, anddigitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Eachdemodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM,etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtainreceived symbols from all the demodulators 254 a through 254 r, performMIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and providedetected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate,deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data forthe UE 115 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control informationto a controller/processor 280.

On the uplink, at the UE 115, a transmit processor 264 may receive andprocess data (e.g., for the PUSCH) from a data source 262 and controlinformation (e.g., for the PUCCH) from the controller/processor 280. Thetransmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for areference signal. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may beprecoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 if applicable, further processed bythe modulators 254 a through 254 r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), andtransmitted to the base station 105. At the base station 105, the uplinksignals from the UE 115 may be received by the antennas 234, processedby the demodulators 232, detected by a MIMO detector 236 if applicable,and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded dataand control information sent by the UE 115. The processor 238 mayprovide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded controlinformation to the controller/processor 240.

The controllers/processors 240 and 280 may direct the operation at thebase station 105 and the UE 115, respectively. The controller/processor240 and/or other processors and modules at the base station 105 mayperform or direct the execution of various processes for the techniquesdescribed herein. The controllers/processor 280 and/or other processorsand modules at the UE 115 may also perform or direct the execution ofthe functional blocks illustrated in FIGS. 5-6, and/or other processesfor the techniques described herein. The memories 242 and 282 may storedata and program codes for the base station 105 and the UE 115,respectively. A scheduler 244 may schedule UEs for data transmission onthe downlink and/or uplink.

Wireless communications systems operated by different network operatingentities (e.g., network operators) may share spectrum. In someinstances, a network operating entity may be configured to use anentirety of a designated shared spectrum for at least a period of timebefore another network operating entity uses the entirety of thedesignated shared spectrum for a different period of time. Thus, inorder to allow network operating entities use of the full designatedshared spectrum, and in order to mitigate interfering communicationsbetween the different network operating entities, certain resources(e.g., time) may be partitioned and allocated to the different networkoperating entities for certain types of communication.

For example, a network operating entity may be allocated certain timeresources reserved for exclusive communication by the network operatingentity using the entirety of the shared spectrum. The network operatingentity may also be allocated other time resources where the entity isgiven priority over other network operating entities to communicateusing the shared spectrum. These time resources, prioritized for use bythe network operating entity, may be utilized by other network operatingentities on an opportunistic basis if the prioritized network operatingentity does not utilize the resources. Additional time resources may beallocated for any network operator to use on an opportunistic basis.

Access to the shared spectrum and the arbitration of time resourcesamong different network operating entities may be centrally controlledby a separate entity, autonomously determined by a predefinedarbitration scheme, or dynamically determined based on interactionsbetween wireless nodes of the network operators.

In some cases, UE 115 and base station 105 may operate in a shared radiofrequency spectrum band, which may include licensed or unlicensed (e.g.,contention-based) frequency spectrum. In an unlicensed frequency portionof the shared radio frequency spectrum band, UEs 115 or base stations105 may traditionally perform a medium-sensing procedure to contend foraccess to the frequency spectrum. For example, UE 115 or base station105 may perform a listen before talk (LBT) procedure such as a clearchannel assessment (CCA) prior to communicating in order to determinewhether the shared channel is available. A CCA may include an energydetection procedure to determine whether there are any other activetransmissions. For example, a device may infer that a change in areceived signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a power meter indicatesthat a channel is occupied. Specifically, signal power that isconcentrated in a certain bandwidth and exceeds a predetermined noisefloor may indicate another wireless transmitter. A CCA also may includedetection of specific sequences that indicate use of the channel. Forexample, another device may transmit a specific preamble prior totransmitting a data sequence. In some cases, an LBT procedure mayinclude a wireless node adjusting its own backoff window based on theamount of energy detected on a channel and/or theacknowledge/negative-acknowledge (ACK/NACK) feedback for its owntransmitted packets as a proxy for collisions.

Use of a medium-sensing procedure to contend for access to an unlicensedshared spectrum may result in communication inefficiencies. This may beparticularly evident when multiple network operating entities (e.g.,network operators) are attempting to access a shared resource. In 5Gnetwork 100, base stations 105 and UEs 115 may be operated by the sameor different network operating entities. In some examples, an individualbase station 105 or UE 115 may be operated by more than one networkoperating entity. In other examples, each base station 105 and UE 115may be operated by a single network operating entity. Requiring eachbase station 105 and UE 115 of different network operating entities tocontend for shared resources may result in increased signaling overheadand communication latency.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a timing diagram 300 for coordinatedresource partitioning. The timing diagram 300 includes a superframe 305,which may represent a fixed duration of time (e.g., 20 ms). Superframe305 may be repeated for a given communication session and may be used bya wireless system such as 5G network 100 described with reference toFIG. 1. The superframe 305 may be divided into intervals such as anacquisition interval (A-INT) 310 and an arbitration interval 315. Asdescribed in more detail below, the A-INT 310 and arbitration interval315 may be subdivided into sub-intervals, designated for certainresource types, and allocated to different network operating entities tofacilitate coordinated communications between the different networkoperating entities. For example, the arbitration interval 315 may bedivided into a plurality of sub-intervals 320. Also, the superframe 305may be further divided into a plurality of subframes 325 with a fixedduration (e.g., 1 ms). While timing diagram 300 illustrates threedifferent network operating entities (e.g., Operator A, Operator B,Operator C), the number of network operating entities using thesuperframe 305 for coordinated communications may be greater than orfewer than the number illustrated in timing diagram 300.

The A-INT 310 may be a dedicated interval of the superframe 305 that isreserved for exclusive communications by the network operating entities.In some examples, each network operating entity may be allocated certainresources within the A-INT 310 for exclusive communications. Forexample, resources 330-a may be reserved for exclusive communications byOperator A, such as through base station 105 a, resources 330-b may bereserved for exclusive communications by Operator B, such as throughbase station 105 b, and resources 330-c may be reserved for exclusivecommunications by Operator C, such as through base station 105 c. Sincethe resources 330-a are reserved for exclusive communications byOperator A, neither Operator B nor Operator C can communicate duringresources 330-a, even if Operator A chooses not to communicate duringthose resources. That is, access to exclusive resources is limited tothe designated network operator. Similar restrictions apply to resources330-b for Operator B and resources 330-c for Operator C. The wirelessnodes of Operator A (e.g, UEs 115 or base stations 105) may communicateany information desired during their exclusive resources 330-a, such ascontrol information or data.

When communicating over an exclusive resource, a network operatingentity does not need to perform any medium sensing procedures (e.g.,listen-before-talk (LBT) or clear channel assessment (CCA)) because thenetwork operating entity knows that the resources are reserved. Becauseonly the designated network operating entity may communicate overexclusive resources, there may be a reduced likelihood of interferingcommunications as compared to relying on medium sensing techniques alone(e.g., no hidden node problem). In some examples, the A-INT 310 is usedto transmit control information, such as synchronization signals (e.g.,SYNC signals), system information (e.g., system information blocks(SIBs)), paging information (e.g., physical broadcast channel (PBCH)messages), or random access information (e.g., random access channel(RACH) signals). In some examples, all of the wireless nodes associatedwith a network operating entity may transmit at the same time duringtheir exclusive resources.

In some examples, resources may be classified as prioritized for certainnetwork operating entities. Resources that are assigned with priorityfor a certain network operating entity may be referred to as aguaranteed interval (G-INT) for that network operating entity. Theinterval of resources used by the network operating entity during theG-INT may be referred to as a prioritized sub-interval. For example,resources 335-a may be prioritized for use by Operator A and maytherefore be referred to as a G-INT for Operator A (e.g., G-INT-OpA).Similarly, resources 335-b may be prioritized for Operator B, resources335-c may be prioritized for Operator C, resources 335-d may beprioritized for Operator A, resources 335-e may be prioritized forOperator B, and resources 335-f may be prioritized for operator C.

The various G-INT resources illustrated in FIG. 3 appear to be staggeredto illustrate their association with their respective network operatingentities, but these resources may all be on the same frequencybandwidth. Thus, if viewed along a time-frequency grid, the G-INTresources may appear as a contiguous line within the superframe 305.This partitioning of data may be an example of time divisionmultiplexing (TDM). Also, when resources appear in the same sub-interval(e.g., resources 340-a and resources 335-b), these resources representthe same time resources with respect to the superframe 305 (e.g., theresources occupy the same sub-interval 320), but the resources areseparately designated to illustrate that the same time resources can beclassified differently for different operators.

When resources are assigned with priority for a certain networkoperating entity (e.g., a G-INT), that network operating entity maycommunicate using those resources without having to wait or perform anymedium sensing procedures (e.g., LBT or CCA). For example, the wirelessnodes of Operator A are free to communicate any data or controlinformation during resources 335-a without interference from thewireless nodes of Operator B or Operator C.

A network operating entity may additionally signal to another operatorthat it intends to use a particular G-INT. For example, referring toresources 335-a, Operator A may signal to Operator B and Operator C thatit intends to use resources 335-a. Such signaling may be referred to asan activity indication. Moreover, since Operator A has priority overresources 335-a, Operator A may be considered as a higher priorityoperator than both Operator B and Operator C. However, as discussedabove, Operator A does not have to send signaling to the other networkoperating entities to ensure interference-free transmission duringresources 335-a because the resources 335-a are assigned with priorityto Operator A.

Similarly, a network operating entity may signal to another networkoperating entity that it intends not to use a particular G-INT. Thissignaling may also be referred to as an activity indication. Forexample, referring to resources 335-b, Operator B may signal to OperatorA and Operator C that it intends not to use the resources 335-b forcommunication, even though the resources are assigned with priority toOperator B. With reference to resources 335-b, Operator B may beconsidered a higher priority network operating entity than Operator Aand Operator C. In such cases, Operators A and C may attempt to useresources of sub-interval 320 on an opportunistic basis. Thus, from theperspective of Operator A, the sub-interval 320 that contains resources335-b may be considered an opportunistic interval (O-INT) for Operator A(e.g., O-INT-OpA). For illustrative purposes, resources 340-a mayrepresent the O-INT for Operator A. Also, from the perspective ofOperator C, the same sub-interval 320 may represent an O-INT forOperator C with corresponding resources 340-b. Resources 340-a, 335-b,and 340-b all represent the same time resources (e.g., a particularsub-interval 320), but are identified separately to signify that thesame resources may be considered as a G-INT for some network operatingentities and yet as an O-INT for others.

To utilize resources on an opportunistic basis, Operator A and OperatorC may perform medium-sensing procedures to check for communications on aparticular channel before transmitting data. For example, if Operator Bdecides not to use resources 335-b (e.g., G-INT-OpB), then Operator Amay use those same resources (e.g., represented by resources 340-a) byfirst checking the channel for interference (e.g., LBT) and thentransmitting data if the channel was determined to be clear. Similarly,if Operator C wanted to access resources on an opportunistic basisduring sub-interval 320 (e.g., use an O-INT represented by resources340-b) in response to an indication that Operator B was not going to useits G-INT, Operator C may perform a medium sensing procedure and accessthe resources if available. In some cases, two operators (e.g., OperatorA and Operator C) may attempt to access the same resources, in whichcase the operators may employ contention-based procedures to avoidinterfering communications. The operators may also have sub-prioritiesassigned to them designed to determine which operator may gain access toresources if more than operator is attempting access simultaneously.

In some examples, a network operating entity may intend not to use aparticular G-INT assigned to it, but may not send out an activityindication that conveys the intent not to use the resources. In suchcases, for a particular sub-interval 320, lower priority operatingentities may be configured to monitor the channel to determine whether ahigher priority operating entity is using the resources. If a lowerpriority operating entity determines through LBT or similar method thata higher priority operating entity is not going to use its G-INTresources, then the lower priority operating entities may attempt toaccess the resources on an opportunistic basis as described above.

In some examples, access to a G-INT or O-INT may be preceded by areservation signal (e.g., request-to-send (RTS)/clear-to-send (CTS)),and the contention window (CW) may be randomly chosen between one andthe total number of operating entities.

In some examples, an operating entity may employ or be compatible withcoordinated multipoint (CoMP) communications. For example an operatingentity may employ CoMP and dynamic time division duplex (TDD) in a G-INTand opportunistic CoMP in an O-INT as needed.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, each sub-interval 320 includes aG-INT for one of Operator A, B, or C. However, in some cases, one ormore sub-intervals 320 may include resources that are neither reservedfor exclusive use nor reserved for prioritized use (e.g., unassignedresources). Such unassigned resources may be considered an O-INT for anynetwork operating entity, and may be accessed on an opportunistic basisas described above.

In some examples, each subframe 325 may contain 14 symbols (e.g., 250 μsfor 60 kHz tone spacing). These subframes 325 may be standalone,self-contained Interval-Cs (ITCs) or the subframes 325 may be a part ofa long ITC. An ITC may be a self-contained transmission starting with adownlink transmission and ending with a uplink transmission. In someembodiments, an ITC may contain one or more subframes 325 operatingcontiguously upon medium occupation. In some cases, there may be amaximum of eight network operators in an A-INT 310 (e.g., with durationof 2 ms) assuming a 250-μs transmission opportunity.

Although three operators are illustrated in FIG. 3, it should beunderstood that fewer or more network operating entities may beconfigured to operate in a coordinated manner as described above. Insome cases, the location of the G-INT, O-INT, or A-INT within superframe305 for each operator is determined autonomously based on the number ofnetwork operating entities active in a system. For example, if there isonly one network operating entity, each sub-interval 320 may be occupiedby a G-INT for that single network operating entity, or thesub-intervals 320 may alternate between G-INTs for that networkoperating entity and O-INTs to allow other network operating entities toenter. If there are two network operating entities, the sub-intervals320 may alternate between G-INTs for the first network operating entityand G-INTs for the second network operating entity. If there are threenetwork operating entities, the G-INT and O-INTs for each networkoperating entity may be designed as illustrated in FIG. 3. If there arefour network operating entities, the first four sub-intervals 320 mayinclude consecutive G-INTs for the four network operating entities andthe remaining two sub-intervals 320 may contain 0-INTs. Similarly, ifthere are five network operating entities, the first five sub-intervals320 may contain consecutive G-INTs for the five network operatingentities and the remaining sub-interval 320 may contain an O-INT. Ifthere are six network operating entities, all six sub-intervals 320 mayinclude consecutive G-INTs for each network operating entity. It shouldbe understood that these examples are for illustrative purposes only andthat other autonomously determined interval allocations may be used.

It should be understood that the coordination framework described withreference to FIG. 3 is for illustration purposes only. For example, theduration of superframe 305 may be more or less than 20 ms. Also, thenumber, duration, and location of sub-intervals 320 and subframes 325may differ from the configuration illustrated. Also, the types ofresource designations (e.g., exclusive, prioritized, unassigned) maydiffer or include more or less sub-designations.

UE capability information is a radio resource control (RRC) message thata UE provides to a network. It includes the details of UE capabilities.As LTE release and 5G release develop and add more features, such asMIMO, network-assisted interference cancellation and suppression(NAICS), dual connectivity, uplink carrier aggregation, number of CSIprocesses, etc., and carrier aggregation (CA)/band combinations, such as5G plus LTE band combinations, 5G plus wireless local access network(WLAN) band combinations, etc., UE capability information has become oneof the longest and most complicated RRC messages. Due to the increase inthe message size of UE capability information, network operatingentities may be unable to adequately process the received UE capabilityinformation, eventually leading to a failure of the LTE or 5G attachprocedure. However, the existing UE capability exchange procedure cannotresolve this issue because it only randomly limits the UE capabilityinformation to be transmitted in regards to certain bands or number ofcarriers. As a result, a network operating entity may fail to obtainnecessary UE capability information.

Various aspects of the present disclosure provide enhancements for UEcapability exchange procedures to reduce the message size of UEcapability information. Accordingly, network loading on the uplink maybe reduced. Also, the time for transmitting UE capability informationand the failure rate of LTE or 5G attach procedure may be reduced.Further, power saving on the UE may be significant.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a UE may report a basic UEcapability set to a network in order to quickly establish communicationconnections, and then utilize an indexing system to report to thenetwork an index or an identifier identifying more extensive UEcapabilities, instead of transmitting the more extensive UE capabilityinformation itself. In response, the network may determine theidentified UE capabilities based on the received index or identifier anda capability database. In further aspects of the present disclosure, aUE may determine UE capabilities to be transmitted based on variousresources or enquiries. In response, the network may receive such UEcapabilities with reduced size.

FIG. 4 illustrates a call flow diagram 400 including a UE capabilityexchange procedure. Call flow diagram 400 illustrates a communicationprocedure among UE 402, base station (BS) 404, and mobility managemententity (MME) 406. UE 402 and BS 404 may have the same or similarconfiguration as the configuration of UE 115 and BS 105, as illustratedin FIG. 2. At 408 and 410, UE 402 may submit an attach request to MME406 and an RRC connection request to BS 404. At 412 and 414, RRCconnection may be set up between UE 402 and BS 404. After RRC connectionsetup, UE 402 may be authenticated by the network (not illustrated inFIG. 4). At 416, BS 404 may transmit a first UE capability enquiry to UE402. In response, at 418 and 420, UE 402 may transmit first UEcapability information to BS 404, and be accepted by MME 406 to attachto the network. After attaching to the network, at 422, BS 404 maytransmit a second UE capability enquiry to UE 402. In response, at 424,UE 402 may transmit second UE capability information to BS 404. Thetransmissions of enquires may be through a Boolean or any otherindication in the UE capability exchange procedure or over-the-air fromBS 404 to UE 402.

In operation according to embodiments herein, the first UE capabilityinformation may be a basic UE capability set that includes basic UEcapabilities for features required to establish connection with anetwork. The first UE capability information may not include all thedetails of UE capabilities. For example, the basic UE capability set mayindicate UE capabilities in regards to MIMO support ability, IP address,UE location, UE power level, or other administration requirements forestablishing a call. Since only basic UE capabilities are transmitted,the message size of the first UE capability information would not be toolong or complicated. Therefore, the connection can be quicklyestablished.

In some aspects of the present disclosure, UE 402 may provide a tagindicating its association with the basic UE capability set, andtransmit this tag along with the basic UE capability set. This “tagged”basic UE capability set may be exchanged among BS 404 and other basestations in the same network. Therefore, upon a handover, a target basestation, which UE 402 is going to handover to from BS 404, may not needto send UE 402 an enquiry for the basic UE capability set of UE 402.Accordingly, the uplink resources and UE power can be saved.

The second UE capability information may be one or more identifiers thatare used to index the more extensive UE capabilities according toembodiments herein. For example, the more extensive UE capabilities arebeyond the basic UE capabilities required to attach to a network. Themore extensive UE capabilities may include inter-band, UL/DL carrieraggregation, and band combinations supportability, etc. In operationaccording to embodiments, UE 402 may transmit to BS 404 the identifiersidentifying the more extensive UE capabilities, instead of transmittingthe more extensive UE capabilities themselves. In response, BS 404 mayprocess the received identifiers by referring to a capability database.The capability database may include a plurality of identifiersidentifying a plurality of sets of two or more UE capabilities. Theplurality of identifiers and their corresponding sets of UE capabilitiesmay, for example, be agreed upon by both UE 402 and BS 404 anddetermined based on one or more of: pre-defined 3GPP Standards, adefinition provided by a network operator, or a database provided by aUE vendor. For example, the network operator of BS 404 may index a setof UE capabilities previously received from a UE with one or moreidentifiers as part of a UE profile. As a further example, UE 402 mayprovide BS 404 with a uniform resource locator (URL) linking to anidentifier database established by the UE vendor.

The identifiers may include one or more indices indicating bandcombinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or afeature specific identifier. For example, an index value may identify aset of bands supported by a UE. A release identifier may identify a setof UE capabilities deployed under a certain 3GPP release. A device typeidentifier may identify a set of UE capabilities provided by a certaindevice type. A feature specific identifier may identify a set of UEcapabilities associated with a specific feature as deployment of aspecific feature may impact a number of UE capabilities. In some aspectsof the present disclosure, the basic UE capabilities may be also indexedwith one or more identifiers. In this case, UE 402 may only transmit toBS 404 one or more identifiers to identify both basic UE capabilitiesand more extensive UE capabilities.

Each of the identifiers may correspond to a set of modes of operationthat UE 402 is capable to perform. An identifier may correspond tomultiple modes of operation. For example, a release identifier “I” maycorrespond to Mode A regarding UL/DL carrier aggregation ability, Mode Bregarding dual connectivity, Mode C regarding multi-carriersupportability, etc. As a further example, a device type identifier “II”may correspond to Mode D regarding multiple SIM (MSIM), Mode E regardingsingle SIM (SSIM), etc.

When UE capabilities change, the mode of operation may also change. Forexample, UE 402 identified by the device type identifier “II” mayinitially operate under Mode D, but later change from Mode D to Mode Ewhen the battery power becomes drained. Accordingly, UE 402 may reportlower preferred capabilities in Mode E (SSIM mode). In some aspects ofthe present disclosure, UE 402 may indicate such change of mode ofoperation to BS 404.

In other aspects of the present disclosure, upon a change of UEcapabilities, a UE may not be able to support all of the UE capabilitiesthat are previously indexed and reported to a network. In other words,the UE may not be able to adapt its capabilities over time. For example,the UE may share resources between a wireless wide area network (WWAN)and a WLAN. WWAN loading may increase as WLAN may decrease over time. Asa result, the UE may not be able to attach to a WLAN access pointeventually. This situation may occur daily. To address this issue, theUE may update its capabilities to the network when the UE is unable tosupport the previously reported UE capabilities. The UE may update itscapabilities during idle, inactive, or connected states. Alternatively,the UE may inform the network of a change of UE capabilities for thenetwork to change the UE configuration of capabilities. In some aspectsof the present disclosure, the UE may indicate a change of mode ofoperation, update UE capabilities, or inform the network of a change ofUE capabilities during a UE capability exchange procedure or any otherstates.

FIG. 5A is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted by a UE to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. Theexample blocks may be implemented by UE 115, UE 402, or UE 700, asillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 7. At block 500, the UE may transmit abasic UE capability set to establish connection with a network. Thebasic UE capability set may indicate basic UE capabilities for featuresrequired for the connection establishment. At block 502, the UE mayutilize one or more identifiers to identify more extensive UEcapabilities for features and band combinations supported by the UE.Each of the one or more identifiers may correspond to a set of modes ofoperation that the UE is capable to perform. At block 504, the UE maytransmit the one or more identifiers to the network after establishingthe connection with the network.

FIG. 5B is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted by a base station to implement one aspect of the presentdisclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by base station 105,BS 404, or BS 800, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 8. At block 506,the base station may receive a basic UE capability set to establishconnection. The basic UE capability set may indicate basic UEcapabilities for features required for the connection establishment. Insome aspects of the present disclosure, the base station may receive atag transmitted along with the basic UE capability set. The tag mayindicate an association between the basic UE capability set and the UEthat transmits such basic UE capability set. The base station maytransmit the received basic UE capability set to other base stationswithin the same network. Therefore, upon a handover, a target basestation that already receives the tagged basic UE capability set fromthe base station may not need to enquire the UE for the basic UEcapability set again. At block 508, the base station may receive one ormore identifiers after the connection being established. The one or moreidentifiers may identify more extensive UE capabilities for features andband combinations supported by a UE. Each of the one or more identifiersmay correspond to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable toperform. In some aspects of the present disclosure, one or moreenquiries for the basic UE capability set, the more extensive UEcapabilities, or both may be transmitted through a Boolean or any otherindication in the UE capability exchange procedure or over-the-air fromthe base station to the UE.

FIG. 5C is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted by a base station to implement one aspect of the presentdisclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by base station 105,BS 404, or BS 800, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 8. At block 512,the base station may receive a basic UE capability set from another basestation within a same network. The basic UE capability set may indicatebasic UE capabilities for features required for the connectionestablishment. At block 514, the base station may receive one or moreidentifiers from a UE after the connection being established. The one ormore identifiers may identify more extensive UE capabilities forfeatures and band combinations supported by the UE. Each of the one ormore identifiers may correspond to a set of modes of operation that theUE is capable to perform. At block 516, the base station may determinethe more extensive UE capabilities based on the received one or moreidentifiers and a capability database.

FIG. 5D is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted by a base station to implement one aspect of the presentdisclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by base station 105,BS 404, or BS 800, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 8. At block 550,the base station may receive a user equipment (UE) capability setindicating UE capabilities for features and one or more identifiersidentifying a portion of UE capabilities for features and bandcombinations supported by a UE. Each of the one or more identifierscorresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UE is capable toperform. It is envisioned that the UE capabilities may be received forconnection establishment. Alternatively or additionally, it isenvisioned that the one or more identifiers may be received afterconnection establishment. It is further envisioned that the one or moreidentifiers may include one or more of: an index indicating the bandcombinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or afeature specific identifier. At block 552, the base station maydetermine the portion of UE capabilities for features and bandcombinations supported by the UE based on the received one or moreidentifiers and a capability database.

FIG. 5E is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted by a UE to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. Theexample blocks may be implemented by UE 115, UE 402, or UE 700, asillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 7. At block 560, the UE may utilizeone or more identifiers to identify a portion of UE capabilities forfeatures and band combinations supported by the UE. Each of the one ormore identifiers corresponds to a set of modes of operation that the UEis capable to perform. At block 562, the UE may transmit, by the UE, aUE capability set. The UE capability set indicates UE capabilities forfeatures and the one or more identifiers to a network. It is envisionedthat the UE capabilities may be received for connection establishment.Alternatively or additionally, it is envisioned that the one or moreidentifiers may be received after connection establishment. It isfurther envisioned that the one or more identifiers may include one ormore of: an index indicating the band combinations, a releaseidentifier, a device type identifier, or a feature specific identifier.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a UE 700 in a communication networkaccording to one aspect of the present disclosure. UE 700 may have thesame or similar configuration as the configuration of UE 115 and UE 402,as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. UE 700 may includecontroller/processor 280 to perform or direct the execution of variousprocesses or program codes stored in memory 282. UE 700 may furtherinclude wireless radios 701 to process uplink or downlink signalsreceived from antennas 252 a-r. Memory 282 may store capability database702 and program codes for execution of UE capability identifying module704, UE capability transmitting module 706, or othermodules/applications. Capability database 702 may store one or moreidentifiers, indices, or modes of operation to identify bandcombinations or features supported by UE 700. Capability database 702may also store a plurality of sets of UE capabilities corresponding tothe identifiers, indices, or modes of operation. Capability database 702may further store a basic UE capability set. Capability database 702 maybe established based on pre-defined 3GPP Standards, definitions ofidentifiers or indices provided by a network operator or a UE vendor.The one or more identifiers or indices may be understood and assumed byboth UE 700 and a base station exchanging UE capabilities with UE 700.UE capability identifying module 704 may be used to access capabilitydatabase 702 and utilize one or more identifiers, indices, and/or modesof operation in capability database 702 to identify more extensive UEcapabilities for features and band combinations supported by UE 700. UEcapability transmitting module 706 may be used to transmit the basic UEcapability set and the one or more identifiers, indices, or modes ofoperation to the network after establishing the connection with thenetwork.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a base station 800 in a communicationnetwork according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Base station800 may have the same or similar configuration as the configuration ofbase station 105 and BS 404, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. Basestation 800 may include controller/processor 240 to perform or directthe execution of various processes or program codes stored in memory242. Base station 800 may further include wireless radios 801 to processuplink or downlink signals received from antennas 234 a-t. Memory 242may store capability database 802 and program codes for execution of UEcapability receiving module 804, UE capability determining module 806,or other modules/applications. Capability database 802 may store one ormore identifiers, indices, modes of operation, a set of UE capabilitiescorresponding to the identifiers, indices, or modes of operation. Suchdata in capability database 802 may fully or partially overlap with datastored in capability database 702 in UE 700. In some aspects of thepresent disclosure, capability database 702 or 802 may be physicallyremote from UE 700 or base station 800. UE capability receiving module804 may be used to receive a basic UE capability set indicating basic UEcapabilities for features required to establish connection between UE700 and base station 800 and one or more identifiers, indices, and modesof operation. UE capability determining module 806 may be used todetermine the more extensive UE capabilities for features and bandcombinations supported by the UE based on the received one or moreidentifiers, indices, or modes of operation and data stored incapability database 802.

FIG. 6A is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted by a UE to implement further aspects of the present disclosure.The example blocks may be implemented by UE 115, UE 402, or UE 700, asillustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 7. The UE may reduce the message sizeof UE capability information by filtering out part of the UE capabilityinformation. At block 600, the UE may determine UE capabilities to bereported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiriesfrom the network, received system information, a home operator policy,configuration associated public land mobile network (PLMN) informationof one or more networks, a user preference, or a service type. The oneor more enquiries from the network may be used to request for UEcapabilities associated with specific bands, UE capabilities associatedwith the network's support of understanding skipped fall back bandcombinations, or UE capabilities associated with a maximum number ofcarriers or bandwidth advertised by the network. For example, inresponse to the enquiries, the UE may only transmit UE capabilities forthe bands identified by the network. As a further example, the UE mayallow to avoid transmitting UE capabilities for the skipped fall backband combinations as such skipped fall back band combinations areassumed by the network. The system information or home operator policymay be received and utilized by the UE. For example, a home operator mayinstruct the UE not to report all the capability information whenroaming as another home operator may not be trustworthy. Theconfiguration may be stored with the UE in a UE profile and indicatePLMN information for one or more networks. The UE may report lowercapabilities based on a user preference or high demand services. Atblock 602, the UE may transmit the determined UE capabilities to thenetwork.

FIG. 6B is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary blocksexecuted by a base station to implement further aspects of the presentdisclosure. The example blocks may be implemented by base station 105,BS 404, or BS 800, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 8. At block 604,the base station may transmit one or more enquiries for UE capabilitiesassociated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by anetwork, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by thenetwork on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fallback band combinations by the network. At block 606, the base stationmay receive the associated UE capabilities. In some aspects of thepresent disclosure, the base station may receive UE capabilitiesdetermined based on one or more of: system information, a home operatorpolicy, configuration associated with PLMN information of one or morenetworks, a user preference, or a service type.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a UE 900 in a communication networkaccording to further aspects of the present disclosure. UE 900 may havethe same or similar configuration as the configuration of UE 115 and UE402, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4. UE 900 may includecontroller/processor 280 to perform or direct the execution of variousprocesses or program codes stored in memory 282. UE 900 may furtherinclude wireless radios 901 to process uplink or downlink signalsreceived from antennas 252 a-r. Memory 282 may store program codes forexecution of UE capability determiner 902, UE capability transmitter904, or other modules/applications. UE capability determiner 902 may beused to determine UE capabilities to be reported to a network based onone or more of: one or more enquiries from the network, received systeminformation, a home operator policy, configuration associated PLMNinformation of one or more networks, a user preference, or a servicetype. UE capability transmitter 904 may be used to transmit thedetermined UE capabilities.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a base station 1000 in a communicationnetwork according to further aspects of the present disclosure. Basestation 800 may have the same or similar configuration as theconfiguration of base station 105 and BS 404, as illustrated in FIGS. 1,2, and 4. Base station 1000 may include controller/processor 240 toperform or direct the execution of various processes or program codesstored in memory 242. Base station 1000 may further include wirelessradios 1001 to process uplink or downlink signals received from antennas234 a-t. Memory 242 may store UE capability enquirer 1002, UE capabilityreceiver 1004, or other modules/applications. UE capability enquirer1002 may be used to transmit one or more enquiries for UE capabilitiesassociated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by anetwork, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by thenetwork on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fallback band combinations by the network. UE capability receiver 1004 maybe used to receive the associated UE capabilities.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

The functional blocks and modules in FIGS. 5-10 may comprise or beexecuted by processors, electronics devices, hardware devices,electronics components, logical circuits, memories, software codes,firmware codes, etc., or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described inconnection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronichardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, variousillustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have beendescribed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present disclosure. Skilled artisans will also readilyrecognize that the order or combination of components, methods, orinteractions that are described herein are merely examples and that thecomponents, methods, or interactions of the various aspects of thepresent disclosure may be combined or performed in ways other than thoseillustrated and described herein.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performedwith a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Ageneral-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with thedisclosure herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Anexemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in anASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, theprocessor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in auser terminal.

In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computerstorage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another.Computer-readable storage media may be any available media that can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way ofexample, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can compriseRAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic diskstorage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that canbe used to carry or store desired program code means in the form ofinstructions or data structures and that can be accessed by ageneral-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose orspecial-purpose processor. Also, a connection may be properly termed acomputer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmittedfrom a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable,fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or digital subscriber line (DSL), thenthe coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, or DSL, are includedin the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includescompact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc(DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce datamagnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or,” when used ina list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items canbe employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listeditems can be employed. For example, if a composition is described ascontaining components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain Aalone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination;B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. Also, as usedherein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of itemsprefaced by “at least one of” indicates a disjunctive list such that,for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C orAB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) or any of these in anycombination thereof.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable anyperson skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scopeof the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited tothe examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wireless communication, comprising:transmitting, by a base station, one or more enquiries for userequipment (UE) capabilities associated with one or more of: one or morebands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers orbandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support ofunderstanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network;receiving, by the base station, the associated UE capabilities and anidentifier that identifies a portion of UE capabilities for features andband combinations supported by the UE for a mode of operation ofmultiple modes of operation of the UE; and accessing, by the basestation, a capability database to determine, based on the identifier,the portion of UE capabilities for features and band combinationssupported by the UE.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UEcapabilities associated with the support of understanding skipped fallback band combinations by the network allow the UE to avoid transmittingUE capabilities for the skipped fall back band combinations.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising receiving UE capabilitiesdetermined based on one or more of: system information, a home operatorpolicy, configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN)information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a servicetype.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the one or moreenquiries is through a Boolean or over-the-air to the UE.
 5. The methodof claim 1, further comprising transmitting at least part of theassociated UE capabilities to another base station within a same networkto avoid transmission of an enquiry to the UE for the at least part ofthe associated UE capabilities by the other base station.
 6. The methodof claim 5, further comprising transmitting a tag along with the atleast part of the associated UE capabilities, wherein the tag indicatesan association between the at least part of the associated UEcapabilities and the UE.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receivingincludes receiving a UE capability set for connection establishment. 8.The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving further includes receivingone or more identifiers after the connection establishment.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving one or moreidentifiers that include one or more of: an index indicating one or moreband combinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or afeature specific identifier.
 10. A wireless communication apparatus,comprising: means for transmitting, by a base station, one or moreenquiries for user equipment (UE) capabilities associated with one ormore of: one or more bands that are used by a network, a maximum numberof carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network on uplink ordownlink, or support of understanding skipped fall back bandcombinations by the network; means for receiving, by the base station,the associated UE capabilities and an identifier that identifies aportion of UE capabilities for features and band combinations supportedby the UE for a mode of operation of multiple modes of operation of theUE; and means for determining, by the base station by accessing acapability database that maps identifiers to UE capabilities forfeatures and band combination supported by one or more UEs, the portionof UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by theUE based on the received identifier.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein the UE capabilities associated with the support of understandingskipped fall back band combinations by the network allow the UE to avoidtransmitting UE capabilities for the skipped fall back bandcombinations.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising meansfor receiving UE capabilities determined based on one or more of: systeminformation, a home operator policy, configuration associated withpublic land mobile network (PLMN) information of one or more networks, auser preference, or a service type.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein the means for transmitting the one or more enquiries does sothrough a Boolean or over-the-air to the UE.
 14. The apparatus of claim10, wherein the means for receiving includes means for receiving a UEcapability set for connection establishment.
 15. The apparatus of claim14, wherein the means for receiving further includes means for receivingone or more identifiers after the connection establishment.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for receiving includes meansfor receiving one or more identifiers that include one or more of: anindex indicating one or more band combinations, a release identifier, adevice type identifier, or a feature specific identifier.
 17. A wirelesscommunication apparatus, comprising: at least one computer processor;and a memory coupled to the at least one computer processor, wherein theat least one computer processor is adapted to: transmit, by a basestation, one or more enquiries for user equipment (UE) capabilitiesassociated with one or more of: one or more bands that are used by anetwork, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertised by thenetwork on uplink or downlink, or support of understanding skipped fallback band combinations by the network; receive, by the base station, theassociated UE capabilities and an identifier that identifies a portionof UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by theUE for a mode of operation of multiple modes of operation of the UE; andaccess, by the base station, a capability database to determine, basedon the identifier, the portion of UE capabilities for features and bandcombinations supported by the UE.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, whereinthe UE capabilities associated with the support of understanding skippedfall back band combinations by the network allow the UE to avoidtransmitting UE capabilities for the skipped fall back bandcombinations.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least onecomputer processor is further adapted to receive UE capabilitiesdetermined based on one or more of: system information, a home operatorpolicy, configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN)information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a servicetype.
 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the at least one computerprocessor is adapted to transmit the one or more enquiries through aBoolean or over-the-air to the UE.
 21. The apparatus of claim 17,wherein the at least one computer processor is further adapted totransmit at least part of the associated UE capabilities to another basestation within a same network to avoid transmission of an enquiry to theUE for the at least part of the associated UE capabilities by the otherbase station.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the at least onecomputer processor is further adapted to transmit a tag along with theat least part of the associated UE capabilities, wherein the tagindicates an association between the at least part of the associated UEcapabilities and the UE.
 23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the atleast one computer processor is further adapted to receive at least inpart by receiving a UE capability set for connection establishment. 24.The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one computer processoris further adapted to receive at least in part by receiving one or moreidentifiers after the connection establishment.
 25. The apparatus ofclaim 17, wherein the at least one computer processor is further adaptedto receive at least in part by receiving one or more identifiers thatinclude one or more of: an index indicating one or more bandcombinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or afeature specific identifier.
 26. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium having program code recorded thereon, the program codecomprising: program code executable by a computer for causing thecomputer to transmit, by a base station, one or more enquiries for userequipment (UE) capabilities associated with one or more of: one or morebands that are used by a network, a maximum number of carriers orbandwidth advertised by the network on uplink or downlink, or support ofunderstanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network;program code executable by the computer for causing the computer toreceive, by the base station, the associated UE capabilities and anidentifier that identifies a portion of UE capabilities for features andband combinations supported by the UE for a mode of operation ofmultiple modes of operation of the UE; and program code executable bythe computer for causing the computer to access, by the base station, acapability database to determine, based on the identifier, the portionof UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by theUE.
 27. A method of wireless communication, comprising: accessing, by auser equipment (UE), a capability database to determine an identifierthat identifies a portion of UE capabilities for features and bandcombinations supported by the UE for a mode of operation of multiplemodes of operation of the UE; determining, by the UE, UE capabilities tobe reported to a network based on one or more of: one or more enquiriesfrom the network, received system information, a home operator policy,configuration associated with public land mobile network (PLMN)information of one or more networks, a user preference, or a servicetype; and transmitting, by the UE, the determined UE capabilities andthe identifier.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or moreenquiries from the network are to request for one or more of the UEcapabilities associated with one or more of: one or more bands that areused by a network, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertisedby the network on uplink or downlink, or support of understandingskipped fall back band combinations by the network.
 29. The method ofclaim 28, wherein the one or more of the UE capabilities associated withthe support of understanding skipped fall back band combinations by thenetwork allow the UE to avoid transmitting UE capabilities for theskipped fall back band combinations.
 30. The method of claim 27, whereinthe transmitting includes transmitting at least part of the determinedUE capabilities to establish connection with the network.
 31. The methodof claim 30, wherein the transmitting includes transmitting one or moreidentifiers to the network after establishing the connection, whereinthe one or more identifiers include one or more of: an index indicatingband combinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or afeature specific identifier.
 32. The method of claim 27, wherein thetransmitting includes transmitting one or more identifiers that includeone or more of: an index indicating band combinations, a releaseidentifier, a device type identifier, or a feature specific identifier.33. The method of claim 32, wherein each of the one or more identifiersidentifies a set of UE capabilities and is determined based on one ormore of: a pre-defined 3GPP Standard, a definition provided by a networkoperator, or a database provided by a UE vendor.
 34. The method of claim27, further comprising: providing a tag indicating an associationbetween the determined UE capabilities and the UE; and transmitting thetag along with at least part of the determined UE capabilities.
 35. Themethod of claim 27, further comprising receiving one or more enquiriesfrom the network for the determined UE capabilities.
 36. The method ofclaim 35, wherein the one or more enquiries are transmitted through aBoolean or over-the-air from the network.
 37. The method of claim 27,further comprising indicating a change of mode of operation triggered bya change of UE capabilities.
 38. A wireless communication apparatus,comprising: accessing, by a user equipment (UE), a capability databaseto determine an identifier that identifies a portion of UE capabilitiesfor features and band combinations supported by the UE for a mode ofoperation of multiple modes of operation of the UE; means fordetermining, by the UE, UE capabilities to be reported to a networkbased on one or more of: one or more enquiries from the network,received system information, a home operator policy, configurationassociated with public land mobile network (PLMN) information of one ormore networks, a user preference, or a service type; and means fortransmitting, by the UE, the determined UE capabilities and theidentifier.
 39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the one or moreenquiries from the network are to request for one or more of the UEcapabilities associated with one or more of: one or more bands that areused by a network, a maximum number of carriers or bandwidth advertisedby the network on uplink or downlink, or support of understandingskipped fall back band combinations by the network.
 40. The apparatus ofclaim 39, wherein the one or more of the UE capabilities associated withthe support of understanding skipped fall back band combinations by thenetwork allow the UE to avoid transmitting UE capabilities for theskipped fall back band combinations.
 41. The apparatus of claim 38,wherein the means for transmitting includes means for transmitting atleast part of the determined UE capabilities to establish connectionwith the network.
 42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the means fortransmitting includes means for transmitting one or more identifiers tothe network after establishing the connection, wherein the one or moreidentifiers include one or more of: an index indicating bandcombinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or afeature specific identifier.
 43. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein themeans for transmitting includes means for transmitting one or moreidentifiers that include one or more of: an index indicating bandcombinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or afeature specific identifier.
 44. The apparatus of claim 43, wherein eachof the one or more identifiers identifies a set of UE capabilities andis determined based on one or more of: a pre-defined 3GPP Standard, adefinition provided by a network operator, or a database provided by aUE vendor.
 45. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising: means forproviding a tag indicating an association between the determined UEcapabilities and the UE; and means for transmitting the tag along withat least part of the determined UE capabilities.
 46. The apparatus ofclaim 38, further comprising means for receiving one or more enquiriesfrom the network for the determined UE capabilities.
 47. The apparatusof claim 46, wherein the one or more enquiries are transmitted through aBoolean or over-the-air from the network.
 48. The apparatus of claim 38,further comprising means for indicating a change of mode of operationtriggered by a change of UE capabilities.
 49. A wireless communicationapparatus, comprising: at least one computer processor; and a memorycoupled to the at least one computer processor, wherein the at least onecomputer processor is configured to: access, by a user equipment (UE), acapability database to determine an identifier that identifies a portionof UE capabilities for features and band combinations supported by theUE for a mode of operation of multiple modes of operation of the UE;determine, by the UE, UE capabilities to be reported to a network basedon one or more of: one or more enquiries from the network, receivedsystem information, a home operator policy, configuration associatedwith public land mobile network (PLMN) information of one or morenetworks, a user preference, or a service type; and transmit, by the UE,the determined UE capabilities and the identifier.
 50. The apparatus ofclaim 49, wherein the one or more enquiries from the network are torequest for one or more of the UE capabilities associated with one ormore of: one or more bands that are used by a network, a maximum numberof carriers or bandwidth advertised by the network on uplink ordownlink, or support of understanding skipped fall back bandcombinations by the network.
 51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein theone or more of the UE capabilities associated with the support ofunderstanding skipped fall back band combinations by the network allowthe UE to avoid transmitting UE capabilities for the skipped fall backband combinations.
 52. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the at leastone computer processor is configured to transmit at least in part bytransmitting at least part of the determined UE capabilities toestablish connection with the network.
 53. The apparatus of claim 52,wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to transmit atleast in part by transmitting one or more identifiers to the networkafter establishing the connection, wherein the one or more identifiersinclude one or more of: an index indicating band combinations, a releaseidentifier, a device type identifier, or a feature specific identifier.54. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the at least one computerprocessor is configured to transmit at least in part by transmitting oneor more identifiers that include one or more of: an index indicatingband combinations, a release identifier, a device type identifier, or afeature specific identifier.
 55. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein eachof the one or more identifiers identifies a set of UE capabilities andis determined based on one or more of: a pre-defined 3GPP Standard, adefinition provided by a network operator, or a database provided by aUE vendor.
 56. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the at least onecomputer processor is further configured to: provide a tag indicating anassociation between the determined UE capabilities and the UE; andtransmit the tag along with at least part of the determined UEcapabilities.
 57. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the at least onecomputer processor is further configured to receive one or moreenquiries from the network for the determined UE capabilities.
 58. Theapparatus of claim 57, wherein the one or more enquiries are transmittedthrough a Boolean or over-the-air from the network.
 59. The apparatus ofclaim 49, wherein the at least one computer processor is furtherconfigured to indicate a change of mode of operation triggered by achange of UE capabilities.
 60. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumhaving program code recorded thereon, the program code comprising:program code executable by a computer for causing the computer toaccess, by a user equipment (UE), a capability database to determine anidentifier that identifies a portion of UE capabilities for features andband combinations supported by the UE for a mode of operation ofmultiple modes of operation of the UE; program code executable by acomputer for causing the computer to determine, by the UE, UEcapabilities to be reported to a network based on one or more of: one ormore enquiries from the network, received system information, a homeoperator policy, configuration associated with public land mobilenetwork (PLMN) information of one or more networks, a user preference,or a service type; and program code executable by the computer forcausing the computer to transmit, by the UE, the determined UEcapabilities.